Aer Lingus has reported a four per cent rise in passenger numbers in May compared with the same month last year.
The airline attributed lower passenger numbers in May 2010 to disruption caused by the Icelandic ash cloud.
"The year-on-year comparison of Aer Lingus' booked passenger numbers in May 2011 is distorted because there were eleven days in May 2010 when volcanic ash clouds prevented Aer Lingus from operating all of its scheduled flights," the Dublin-based company said today.
Aer Lingus’ total booked passenger numbers in May 2011 were 911,000, an increase of 4 per cent compared to May 2010.
The number of short haul booked passengers totalled 832,000, a 4.4 per cent increase over May last year, while long haul booked passengers last month were 79,000 - equal to the same month in 2010.